31 articles
Allspice
Allspice (Jamaica pepper, pimento; Pimenta dioica) is the dried unripe berry of a Myrtaceae tree from the Caribbean and Central America whose eugenol-rich flavor combines clove, cinnamon, and nutmeg; Jamaica supplies about 70% of world trade.
Annatto
Annatto (E 160b, achiote, urucum) is a yellow-to-red natural food colorant from Bixa orellana seed coats, whose oil-soluble pigment bixin and water-soluble norbixin color cheese, butter, and snacks worldwide.
Apple cider vinegar
Apple cider vinegar (ACV, cider vinegar) is vinegar made by fermenting apple juice to cider and then to acetic acid. Distinguished by FDA 4 g/100 mL acidity minimum, the 'mother', modest blood-sugar evidence, and safety limits.
Asafoetida
Asafoetida (hing) is the pungent oleo-gum resin from Ferula taproots of Iran and Afghanistan, used as an onion-garlic substitute in Jain and Brahmin cooking; India imports nearly all of it, about 1,441 tonnes in 2022-23.
Baharat (بهارات)
Baharat (بهارات), the Arabic word for spices, is a warm ground blend central to Middle Eastern cooking, sold in the Levant as sabaa baharat, seven spices, and used on kofta, kebabs, stews, and rice.
Black pepper
Black pepper (Piper nigrum; Milagu), the dried berry of a Western Ghats-native vine; piperine activates TRPV1; black, white, green forms by processing; Vietnam, Indonesia, Brazil, India lead production.
Black pepper oleoresin
Black pepper oleoresin, a solvent-extracted concentrate from Piper nigrum peppercorns (FEMA 2846, CAS 8002-56-0), carries both aroma volatiles (20–36%) and pungent piperine (35–55%), used to flavor processed foods and authorized as an EU feed additive in 2024.
Bouillon cube
Bouillon cube, also stock or broth cube, dehydrated broth in about 4 g cubes; invented by Julius Maggi in 1908 using hydrolyzed vegetable protein; followed by OXO and Knorr; high in salt, used worldwide.
Cardamom
Cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum, elaichi), a Zingiberaceae spice from southern India; aromatic green capsules with 3.5–7% essential oil, led by α-terpinyl acetate and 1,8-cineole; Guatemala now the top producer and exporter; distinct from black cardamom (Amomum subulatum).
Chili powder
Chili powder is an American spice blend of ground dried chilies with cumin, garlic, oregano, and often paprika, onion powder, and salt, developed for Tex-Mex dishes like chili con carne. First commercialized by William Gebhardt in San Antonio in 1896; mild (500–1,000 SHU) versus pure cayenne (30,000–50,000 SHU).
Chipotle
Chipotle (Nahuatl chilpōctli): a smoke-dried ripe jalapeño pepper used in Mexican cooking, sold as morita or meco, in powder, or canned in adobo; also the name of Chipotle Mexican Grill, the American restaurant chain founded in Denver in 1993.
Cinnamon
Cinnamon, including Ceylon or true cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum) and cassia (C. cassia, C. burmannii, C. loureiroi), is a spice from dried Cinnamomum bark, distinguished by cinnamaldehyde levels, coumarin content, and fraud-prone trade.
Clove
Clove (Syzygium aromaticum), the dried flower bud of a myrtle-family tree native to five Maluku islands, is a spice and eugenol source used in food, dentistry, and perfumery, once central to the spice trade.
Curry powder
Curry powder, also called Madras or curry spice, is a British-invented pre-mixed spice blend built on turmeric, coriander, and cumin, rarely used in India, with distinct Jamaican, Japanese, and Sri Lankan variants.
Duqqa (دقة)
Duqqa (دقة), also dukkah or du'ah, is an Egyptian coarse blend of toasted nuts, sesame, coriander, cumin, salt, and pepper, eaten with bread dipped in olive oil; distinct from za'atar and from the garlic-vinegar koshari sauce of the same name.
Filé powder
Filé powder, also called gumbo filé or kombo, is ground dried sassafras leaves used in Louisiana Cajun and Creole cooking to thicken and flavor gumbo; added off heat, Choctaw in origin, exempt from the 1960 safrole ban.
Fleur de sel
Fleur de sel (flower of salt, flor de sal) is hand-skimmed surface sea salt with fine pyramidal crystals, classically from Guérande, France (PGI 2012); used as a finishing salt, unlike pond-floor sel gris.
Furikake (ふりかけ)
Furikake (ふりかけ) is a dry Japanese seasoning of sesame seeds, seaweed, and dried fish or egg, sprinkled over cooked white rice or mixed into it; the first commercial product, Gohan no Tomo, appeared around 1913.
Garam masala
Garam masala (गरम मसाला), a North Indian warm-spice blend of cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, and black pepper; no fixed recipe exists, added late in cooking, distinct from curry powder.
Herbes de Provence
Herbes de Provence (èrbas de Provença) is an unprotected commercial name for a dried herb blend typical of southern French cooking, usually thyme, rosemary, oregano, and savory; Label Rouge certification since 2003 fixes a recipe, while most herbs sold are imported.
Kosher salt
Kosher salt, better called koshering salt, is a coarse-grained salt used to draw blood from meat in kashering; its large crystals and lack of iodine made it the default salt of American chefs and recipe developers.
List of culinary herbs and spices
Culinary herbs and spices: edible plant seasonings; herbs are leafy parts (basil, parsley, rosemary), spices come from seeds, bark, roots, buds (pepper, cinnamon, ginger, cloves). Covers definitions, substitution ratios, storage, flavor chemistry, and safety.
Mustard seed
Mustard seed: small seeds of Brassica nigra, B. juncea, and Sinapis alba used as spice, condiment, and oilseed. Pungency arises when myrosinase converts glucosinolates to isothiocyanates; heat, allergy, and erucic acid limits shape its use.
Old Bay Seasoning
Old Bay Seasoning is a Baltimore-created Chesapeake Bay spice blend, invented in 1939 by German-Jewish immigrant Gustav Brunn, originally sold as Delicious Brand Shrimp and Crab Seasoning and renamed for the Old Bay Line steamship; McCormick has owned it since 1990.
Peri-peri
Peri-peri (piri-piri, pili-pili) is the African bird's eye chili, Capsicum frutescens, and the sauce, marinade, and seasoning made from it; 50,000–225,000 SHU, spread by Portuguese trade, central to Mozambican, Angolan, Portuguese, and South African cuisine.
Pumpkin pie spice
Pumpkin pie spice is a cinnamon-led blend of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice, sometimes clove, with no pumpkin in it; marketed since 1931, made famous by Starbucks's 2003 latte.
Saffron
Saffron, from Crocus sativus stigmas, is the world's most expensive spice; key compounds crocin, picrocrocin, safranal; graded by ISO 3632; Iran produces about 90%; frequently adulterated.
Sea salt
Sea salt: salt made by evaporating seawater or salt-lake water, less processed than mined table salt. Retains trace minerals, same sodium by weight, usually not iodized, harvested from solar evaporation ponds worldwide.
Seasoning
Seasoning: adding salt, herbs, spices, or blends to food to improve taste; covers FDA and ESA definitions, herb-versus-spice distinctions, salt trade history, and sodium-reduction uses.
Sichuan pepper
Sichuan pepper, huajiao (花椒), also called Szechuan pepper or Chinese prickly ash, is the numbing citrus-family spice from Zanthoxylum husks; sanshools cause the tingle central to Sichuan mala cuisine.